episode_0060

060.

“…Lee Jinhyuk, do you have something to say?”

“Uh, yeah? Hmm, no, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

“…?”

Sensing something strange in my gaze as I stared blankly, Lee Siwoon tilted his head slightly and asked.

A small question mark seemed to float above Lee Siwoon’s head, so I cleared my throat a few times and shook my head as if to dismiss the thought.

Enough with the useless thoughts, let’s try to think more clearly.

I can’t just leave Siwoon behind and run away like an idiot, can I?

“In a situation like this, it’s more dangerous to act separately anyway.”

If I had left Siwoon alone and encountered Yoo Dahee or a powerful villain, what would happen?

Ha, that would be a shitty situation.

Thinking about it, I realized that leaving Siwoon alone would be a problem, as Yoo Dahee would probably try to thoroughly destroy Siwoon with a sinister smile.

I can’t act as a hero anymore.

“For the future, Siwoon is essential.”

Siwoon has grown a lot and has the duty(?) to defeat many villains with Soyeon instead of me.

Yeah, there’s no point in hiding it.

I can’t afford to lose Siwoon miserably.

Especially considering the events that will happen in the future.

“Well, I’ve prepared for this. If I can endure with Siwoon, I’ll manage somehow.”

What did I prepare?

Hong Daye, the High Ranker, that’s what I mean.

The reason I risked my life to defeat the Black-Handed Gibbon with the kids during the evaluation was because of Hong Daye.

When an incident occurred at the academy, I wanted to ask Hong Daye for help.

Originally, I would have suffered a serious injury from the combined attack of the Minotaur and the Black-Handed Gibbon and spent a long time in the hospital.

But thanks to our help, Hong Daye could continue his instructor duties without major injuries.

Hong Daye was considered a top 10 candidate, so he was a formidable opponent in the story. As a member of the Rebellion now, he wouldn’t be an easy target.

“To take out my phone, I need to use the pocket dimension ring. Oh, of course, I could secretly take it out when Siwoon isn’t looking, but given the situation, I’ll need to use other items as well. Should I just reveal it first?”

After organizing my thoughts alone, I discreetly created a crack in the air and pulled out a satellite phone from it.

Siwoon’s eyes flickered slightly.

Suddenly, a rough crack appeared in the air, and something like a satellite phone fell into my hand.

“Lee Jinhyuk, what’s that?”

“It’s my ability. I tried not to reveal it, but the situation doesn’t allow it now.”

“…I see.”

Without further questioning, Siwoon slowly nodded his head.

Whether he believed me or just didn’t want to pry, I don’t know, but whatever.

I quickly called Hong Daye.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me, Lee Jinhyuk.”

“Oh. But aren’t you in the exam room right now? How can you make a call…?”

“The villains took their phones! But that’s not the important thing right now!”

“…Right, I see.”

I deliberately acted urgent.

As she was also an exam proctor, she seemed to have a rough idea of the current situation and quickly understood.

“We’re with the kids right now, and they’re all badly injured! Please help, sir!”

“…Where are you?”

“It’s in B-1 area! Hurry before other villains come again!”

“Alright, got it. Oh, and if you happen to encounter a girl with white hair and a big guy, don’t resist recklessly, just stall for time, okay?”

The girl with white hair must be Yudahee, and the big guy must be Ryan Jones, the Crusher. It would be best if we didn’t run into them until Hong Daye arrives.

“Yes, sir!”

With that response, the call abruptly ended.

Although the exact location of B-1 area wasn’t disclosed, someone as skilled as Hong Daye should be able to roughly determine the location within the same area.

“Well then… Hey, Kim Yuseong, wake up. Hey.”

I lightly slapped the cheek of Kim Yuseong, who was blissfully asleep (?) in a slightly secluded spot, unaware of how the world was turning.

In the current situation, Kim Yuseong was also a valuable asset. I couldn’t just leave him sleeping peacefully like this.

“Huh, wha-?”

“Hey, Kim Yuseong, wake up.”

“You, you’re Lee Jinhyuk…? Oh, uh, …huh?!”

With a momentary spark in his dazed eyes, Kim Yuseong suddenly snapped out of it and sprang up from the ground, glaring at me.

He seemed to be running a fever, probably from the beating he took in my trap earlier.

“You… you little… you won’t get away with this…”

“Calm down, Kim Yuseong.”

“Shi… Shiwooni? What are you doing here?”

At that moment, Ishiwoon intervened.

“It’s an emergency right now. I’ll give you a brief summary, so listen carefully.”

“Uh, uh…?”

Ishiwoon and I woke up Kim Yuseong and the two other trainees who were unconscious, explaining the current situation briefly.

The kids blinked their eyes in confusion for a moment.

The sudden mention of villains attacking seemed to puzzle them greatly.

But upon seeing the three villains lying on the ground, they seemed to reluctantly accept the current situation.

“Villains attacking the exam hall? What in the world…”

“W-what should we do? Shouldn’t we wait for the security agents to arrive?”

“But since Ishiwoon is here, it should be okay. Look at those villains lying there. Ishiwoon must have taken them down.”

The three kids showed different reactions.

They seemed extremely anxious, bewildered, and restless in the sudden real-life situation.

Well, it’s understandable.

Even if they aspire to be heroes, they’re still just trainees. And they’ve never experienced a real battle, so they must be even more nervous.

But you know…

Shouldn’t we look for Soyeon?

I feel quite scared on my own, so I’d rather search with you guys.

“Ishiwoon.”

“Why, Lee Jinhyuk?”

“I saw Soyeon a little further away before I fought you.”

Of course, it was a lie.

Soyeon didn’t even catch a glimpse.

“She might be alone right now. Shall we look for her together?”

“Where is she?”

“I can’t say for sure, but with this, we can roughly estimate.”

I took out a portable radar to show them.

It was a fairly expensive product derived from magic, capable of detecting the locations of people within a few kilometers.

Of course, it couldn’t distinguish who was who, so we might end up facing villains.

So, I felt a bit overwhelmed on my own and needed Ishiwoon and the others’ help.

“Alright, got it. Let’s search together.”

“Okay, then what about you guys? Will you stay here or come with us?”

“Um, well…”

Kim Yuseong seemed to hesitate for a moment.

Scratching his chin, Kim Yuseong pursed his lips thoughtfully.

After a moment, he turned his head back and forth between me and Lee Siwoon. Then, he slowly nodded in agreement.

“Ha… If it’s Soyeon, she has helped us a lot before… Well, I’ll go with you.”

“Y-Yuseong.”

“I can’t just sit here like a coward. And you said you fought villains here? It must have been quite chaotic. It’s dangerous to stay here.”

“Ah, y-yeah.”

The kids nodded quickly, as if understanding.

“T-then we’ll go with you.”

“Okay.”

They may not be of much help, but it was a universal truth that the more people there were, the safer it was.

It’s not like herbivores gather in groups for no reason.

Unless they were really dangerous villains, they wouldn’t mess with a large group of people.

“Don’t worry too much. We contacted Instructor Hong Daye that we’re in B-1 area. As long as we don’t leave this area, she’ll come find us soon.”

“R-really?”

“Yeah.”

And so, the five of us quickly moved to a new location.

Since we had informed Hong Daye about being in the B-1 area, we couldn’t move too far away.

I secretly took out the Great Beast Slayer Crow’s Bow and Vigilante’s Sword from the spatial storage and thought to myself.

Given the situation, I had to give it my all.

I might face consequences later, but that was a problem for another day. Right now, securing Soyeon’s safety was the priority.

***

In an open space in B-1 area.

“Hoo, hoo… Roksanne, can you still… hold on…?”

Jin Soyeon gasped for breath intermittently, wiping away the beads of sweat on her forehead.

She held her sword upright, but the prolonged battle had taken a toll on her.

My arms… my arms don’t move well…

Her beautiful hair, usually flowing like a waterfall, was now matted with dirt and blood.

Blood droplets fell quietly from her hairline to the ground.

And how about my clothes?

Her neat uniform was now in shambles, with her outer coat and shirt torn halfway.

Her bra strap peeked shyly over her shoulder, and her undershirt and protective shorts were slightly torn as if scratched by an animal’s claws.

It was a sight to behold.

“I-I’m… fine, but… the others… are…”

To Jin Soyeon, Roksanne didn’t look fine at all.

Roksanne’s elegant attire was now a mess, with many areas damaged.

Judging by the way her large energy pockets were constantly bouncing up and down, it seemed like she was reaching her physical limit.

“Is there… no more… reinforcements…?”

“Y-yes… I think… there won’t be any… at this rate…”

Originally, there were about ten trainees and safety officers moving together, but due to the unexpected attack by skilled villains, people were now writhing on the ground with injuries big and small.

The villains who had carried out the ambush were wearing strange masks that covered their faces, and their movements were anything but ordinary.

They were different from the third-rate villains they had encountered before.

They had easily defeated the former pro safety officers, showing immense strength.

“I don’t think we can hold out any longer. This is bad. What do we do now?”

Even though they were just a group of four villains, they had almost taken down this many people.

Although one of the four managed to incapacitate Jin Soyeon and her companions, the situation remained extremely unfavorable.

“…Those people are almost at the level of mid-tier heroes. With my current skills, what can I do?”

Jin Soyeon bit her lower lip slightly.

A drop of blood trickled down between her lips.

There were only five people left who could fight. If Jin Soyeon, who was in the vanguard, were to fall, the rear members would be in danger.

She could not afford to fall.

If Jin Soyeon were to fall, what would happen to the others?

“Is there no way? No sharp strategy…?”

No matter how much she pondered, no good ideas came to mind.

Is there really no way out?

Is this the end?

“…If it were not me, but Jinhyuk, he would have surely come up with a good plan.”

Jinhyuk’s commanding and strategic abilities were exceptional.

If he were here, they would not have been pushed into such a dire situation in the first place.

The reason they were pushed this far was not only due to the difference in skills but also the lack of a clear hierarchy.

“I miss Jinhyuk for no reason. I shouldn’t have such weak thoughts. But…”

He was a source of strength for her in situations like this.

Jinhyuk’s calm gaze, warm touch, and encouraging voice always gave Jin Soyeon great strength.

It was Jinhyuk who awakened her when she was trembling like a coward in front of the monsters at the academy.

He never gave up in the fight against the Black Hand Long-Armed Ape, which she thought she could never win, and eventually defeated it.

He was always the guiding light that illuminated her from the darkness.

Whenever she faced danger, he appeared like a comet to rescue her from peril. She couldn’t say it out of embarrassment, but he was always her hero. Since childhood.

The reason Jin Soyeon had been helping people all along was all because of Jinhyuk.

“…Ah, if I knew it would come to this, I should have at least apologized properly.”

I’m sorry for not knowing you liked me and asking for a fake relationship.

I feel really sorry for hurting you, for you always silently enduring the pain. It’s really shameful.

“…Jinhyuk.”

Just as she quietly called his name and was about to let go of the thread of hope…

Whoosh.

Something fell among the villains.

It looked somewhat like a grenade.

Huh? A grenade? Wait, what?

And then, boom!

“…!”

“…Ugh?!”

The deafening explosion and bright flash momentarily stunned the people’s eyes and ears.

What, what is it? A flashbang?

Jin Soyeon was taken aback. Who on earth threw a flashbang?

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Soon, several arrows and various spells were shot towards the villains from beyond the bushes.

Even in their state of impaired hearing and vision, the villains reflexively dodged the arrows and spells.

But immediately, children like Lee Siwoon, Lee Junghoon, and Han Dongwon rushed out like flashes of light and ambushed the villains.

However, one person failed to dodge properly and ended up getting his shoulder slashed by Lee Siwoon’s sword.

The villains retreated to regroup from a distance.

“Ah, damn. They almost all dodged it. Even with Han Dongwon’s acceleration ability and Yoon Sangyeon’s ability to eliminate their presence.”

“J-Jinhyuk?”

A man emerged from the bushes, tightly gripping a black bow.

It was none other than Lee Jinhyuk.

S-Seriously, he appeared at this timing.

While Jin Soyeon was taken aback, more people began to reveal themselves from the bushes.

There were quite a number of trainees.

Lee Jin-hyuk, Lee Si-woon, Han Dong-won, Yulia, Lee Jung-hoon, Kim Yoo-sung, and others…

At a glance, it seemed like there were more than twenty people.

They were all kids who had joined in while scanning the surroundings with a radar to find Jin So-yeon.

“So-yeon, are you okay?”

“Uh, yeah. I’m f-fine. Thank you…”

“I’ll lend you my coat. You can wear it.”

“Huh?”

A coat…?

Jin So-yeon tilted her head slightly before realizing her own state.

Oh, right.

Her clothes were a mess, indeed!

Torn here and there, exposing quite a bit, Jin So-yeon blushed slightly for a moment and accepted the coat willingly.

Looking now, the shirt was also quite torn at the chest, revealing the bra clearly.

Oh, h-how embarrassing…

As Jin So-yeon felt a bit embarrassed, Lee Jin-hyuk hesitated slightly. Will Si-woon look at me badly if I give her this?

No, her childhood friend’s clothes are torn, so it’s okay to give her a coat. Right?

“…So-yeon.”

“Si-woon, you’re here too.”

Si-woon glanced at So-yeon’s state.

She seemed to have suffered quite a bit, covered in wounds here and there.

Si-woon’s grip on her hand unconsciously tightened. He couldn’t see Jin-hyuk’s coat because of So-yeon’s wounds.

Were all those villains responsible for this? But they couldn’t just rush in. They were not easy opponents, unlike Kim Hwa-seung.

They might be real villains.

“Jin-hyuk.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Jin-hyuk nodded lightly.

They don’t seem to be Rebellion members, but they look quite strong.

‘With this number of people, we can hold out until Hong Da-ye arrives.’

Including Si-woon, the disciple of the Grand Magician Yulia, the top-ranked newcomer Lee Jung-hoon, Han Dong-won, Kim Yoo-sung, and many others were there.

Jin So-yeon and Rok-san were there too.

Wait a minute… Rok-san?

Oh, right, Rok-san was there too, indeed.

Feeling a slight unease at Rok-san’s presence here.

Could those be soldiers under Sung Yu-ra? Worried if Rok-san was sent here on purpose…

“Ah, finally found you all gathered here.”

In an instant.

Jin-hyuk’s heart sank.

Because that voice shouldn’t have been heard here.

Thinking they were lucky to have So-yeon join them safely, turns out luck was not on their side, damn it.

As the relieved atmosphere turned around, a girl with flowing white hair gracefully jumped down and scanned Jin-hyuk and his group from head to toe.

“Let’s see, Si-woon, Yulia, Lee Jung-hoon… Wait, Rok-san is here too?”

The girl with white hair, now sticky with blood, was Yoo Da-hee.

She would later become the strongest figure in the world of Romance Hero Academy, as well as Jin So-yeon’s antithesis.

…But when is Hong Da-ye coming, seriously.